The exploration and production of hydrocarbons require the use of numerous types of tubulars also referred to as pipe. Tubulars include but are not limited to drill pipes, casings, and other threadably connectable elements used in well structures. Strings of joined tubulars, or drill strings, are often used to drill a wellbore and, with regards to casing, prevent collapse of the wellbore after drilling. These tubulars are normally assembled in groups of two or more, commonly known as “stands” to be vertically stored in the derrick or mast. The derrick or mast may include a storing structure commonly referred to as a fingerboard. Fingerboards typically include a plurality of vertically elongated support structures or “fingers” each capable of receiving a plurality of “stands.”
Rotary Drilling and Top Drive drilling systems often use these stands, instead of single tubulars, to increase efficiency of drilling operations by reducing the amount of connections required to build the drill string in or directly over the wellbore. However, the manipulation of tubulars from a horizontal to a vertical position, assembly of stands and presentation of stands between the fingerboard and well center are dangerous and can be rather inefficient operations.
The ability to build stands while simultaneously drilling allows numerous activities to be conducted simultaneously, thus gaining efficiency. However, due to the small rig floors and mobile nature of land rigs, both automated rackers and offline standbuilding systems have not been possible in the land rigs. In addition, safety of the rig crew is a critical aspect of drilling operations and specifically the removal of rig personnel from the rig floor has been a goal in the industry. One known system described in patent application 2010/0303586 allows for the manipulation of tubulars. The system however, still requires rig personnel to tail the tubulars on the rig floor to ensure proper positions of stands in the setback. Another known system described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,967,541, while an improvement to the system of 2010/0303586 by eliminating rig personnel from the rig floor during racking operations, still requires rig personnel to build stands. Neither of the systems in the references identified above assists in the make-up of stands. Both systems do not assist in the manipulations of tubulars from the catwalk to well center or an offline mousehole thus requiring rig personnel to utilize winches for the manipulation of tubulars from the horizontal to vertical position.
The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods that overcome one or more of the shortcomings of the prior art.